One of
television’s earliest sitcoms was also named “The Goldbergs,” but this new
series feels far more like a remake (or re-imagining) “The Wonder Years,” a
family driven single-camera sitcom from the 1980s. “The Goldbergs” is actually
based on the childhood of creator Adam Goldberg, though elements were clearly
changed in ways that make it more similar to “The Wonder Years,” including the
addition of an older sister character. It is more than that, however. When I
was a child in the late 1980s, I watched a show about a family living in the
1960s. Twenty-some years later I am watching a series about a family in the
1980s, and can finally relate to what “The Wonder Years” must have felt like to
my parents.

Extinction
is an enigma within its genre. It somehow manages to be original in its
approach while simultaneously borrowing from enough horror tropes to feel
derivative. Even if the overall film often feels original, it is made up of
elements which can be traced back to far more successful films and television
shows. This makes Extinction
something of a Frankenstein film, containing several working parts to construct
this cumbersome and uneven experience. Though it can often feel like a
different film from one moment to the next, each of these tends to be more
effective than the hoard of unimaginative trope that typically fills the genre.

If there is a phrase that seems to be utilized
most when discussing the work of brothers and critically acclaimed filmmakers
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, it is ‘social consciousness.’ Few filmmakers are
as aware of the effects that business and politics have on the average human
life, and those average people tend to be the protagonists at the center of
their fictional narratives. This awareness no doubt comes from their years of
making small documentaries, beginning in the 1970s, though their understanding
of the rich depth within the human spirit is what marries these political
ideals with characters we can all find relatable. Two Days, One Night may be the first film they have made with a
famous movie star heading up the cast, but the manner with which Oscar-winner
Marion Cotillard is able to shed the glamour of a movie star to embody the role
of a simple struggling mother is a testament both to her acting abilities
(earning her a second Best Actress nomination) and the Dardenne’s undeniable
skill as socially conscious filmmakers.

Indian films typically tend to be a lengthier
than most Hollywood films, which may be part of the reason the logic of Vidhu
Vinod Chopra’s first American-made film feels so broken. Adapted from his 1989
Hindi crime classic, Parinda, Broken Horses is nearly an hour shorter
in length, but somehow still feels like too much time spent on derivative
material. Despite a plot that feels manipulatively melodramatic and
unreasonably contrived, there is raw energy in the action which could have made
these flaws forgivable if it weren’t for the tragedy that is the bland
dialogue.